Discovery may cut chemotherapy side effects

Cancer patients could one day experience fewer side effects from chemotherapy following a discovery that opens the door for more targeted treatments.
Researchers have identified a possible way of treating tumours that would see doctors place harmless metal implants at the cancer site.
The discovery could make treatment more targeted than existing therapies, avoiding unwanted side effects, such as hair loss, tiredness and nausea. These occur when chemotherapy drugs carried in the blood kill healthy cells as well as cancer cells.
The scientists found that they could alter the chemical composition of commonly used chemotherapy drugs so that they only become active when they come into contact with a metal called palladium.
Researchers hope that by implanting small devices coated with palladium into patients